My God Is Salvation [2] "Where Now is the Lord?"

Songwriter and singer Sufjan Stevens has written these words in one of his songs: Oh God, where are you now? Oh Lord, say somehow. The devil is hard on my face again. The world is a hundred to one again. Have you ever felt that way? Ever asked that question: O God where are you now?
We find the prophet Elisha asking the same question as his mentor and friend Elijah was taken away from him: Oh God, where are you now? Read: 2 Kings 2.1-18

Though Israel was idolatrous and corrupt (though they were faithless), the Lord was faithful and raised up His prophets to be His presence in their midst. When Elijah was taken up to heaven, Elisha asked the question: “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” And what was the answer? The answer was given in the miracle that followed: Elisha struck the Jordan River with the cloak of Elijah and, as it had parted for Elijah, so it parted for Elisha. So the answer was that God was still powerfully present with His people through His prophet.

The authority, power and spirit of Elijah were transferred to Elisha as his heir. Elisha had asked to inherit a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (the amount given to ones heir). Elijah told him this was a difficult thing to grant, because the Spirit was not really Elijah’s to give. It was up to God. But God granted that request and filled Elisha with His Spirit.

As we consider this theme further, I want us to look at this story in three different ways: in terms of discipleship, presence and power and prefigurement.

First, Discipleship. Elisha was a disciple to the end. He was faithful to his call. For Elijah, knowing that the Lord was going to take him away, told Elisha three times to stay behind. However, all three times, Elisha declared, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” Elisha was faithful to his calling and his promise to follow. As they journeyed from Gilgal to Bethel and then to Jericho, they were met by the ‘company of the prophets’ in each city who warned Elisha that the Lord was going to take Elijah away. But Elisha was not dissuaded. He persistently followed Elijah. And therefore Elisha fulfilled the purpose of discipleship, which is to be like the one you follow. Elisha is an example to us of what it means (and looks like) to be a disciple. A disciple learns, serves, imitates and eventually does the work of the master.

Next, I want us to look at the story in terms of Presence and Power. Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. By the power of the Spirit, Elisha was able to stand up to kings (since his authority was above theirs); and he was able to minister to those in need – healing, feeding, providing for the helpless. After taking up the fallen mantle of Elijah, Elisha became the primary prophet of the Lord. But he wanted to be sure that he had been empowered and so he returned to the Jordan and, standing by the flowing waters of the river asked, “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” And when he struck the water with the cloak and, as it did for Elijah, the water divided to the right and the left and Elisha crossed over. This was convincing proof (to both Elisha and the company of the prophets who were watching). And notice how and where this event took place: Elisha re-entered the Land just like Joshua and the Israelites did (by crossing the Jordan River which had been parted by the Lord), and at the same location – Jericho. Elisha then entered the land like a second Joshua. And his ministry was a sort of conquest. His ministry was to claim the land and the people for the Lord. And so he ministered mercy and brought judgment.

I also want us to consider this story in terms of Prefigurement. To prefigure is to show or represent beforehand by a figure, type or model; to foreshadow. And the stories of Elisha clearly prefigure our Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. Jesus showed His disciples how all of Scripture speaks of Him. We see that clearly in this passage. And so, let’s look at the story in terms of a cast of characters.
- In one sense, Elijah is a type of John the Baptist – a lone voice in the wilderness. Jesus
even refers to John as being Elijah. As John baptized Jesus and then faded from the scene,
so Elijah anointed Elisha and soon was taken away. Elisha then is a type of Jesus. Elisha
was surrounded by disciples and had a ministry of life-giving miracles (cleansing a leper,
raising a dead son, multiplying bread, providing for the helpless).
- In another sense Elijah is a type of Christ and Elisha represents the disciples. As the
disciples left their fishing nets and family to follow Jesus, we saw last week how Elisha left his
family farm to follow Elijah. As the disciples carried on the work of Jesus, so Elisha carried
on the work of Elijah. As Elisha was given Elijah’s spirit, so the disciples were all filled with
the Holy Spirit.

And so, we can see hints of the Gospel here in these stories. But does it really matter? Yes. It does matter - a lot. Because without Jesus, the significance of this story collapses. If God was only ever present in the great figures of Israelite history and not ultimately in the Word made flesh, God incarnate, the Messiah Jesus, then these might be good stories, but that is all they are. Elisha’s question “where is the Lord?” is not only significant because it resonates with our human experience, but because it looks forward to the ultimate Answer. Where do we find God? We find God when we see Jesus (see: 2 Cor 4:6 and John 1:18). The Lord was powerfully present with His people through His prophet. But even more than that - through the life of this prophet, God foreshadowed how He would be even more intimately present with His people through His Son. Elisha’s ministry was but a foretaste of that of Jesus. The presence and power of the Spirit in the life of Elisha was a foretaste of the presence and power of the Spirit in the lives of Jesus’ followers.

So, we have looked at this story in terms of discipleship and seen that Elisha was FAITHFUL TO THE CALL. We have looked at it in terms of presence and power and seen that Elisha was FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. And we have looked at it in terms of prefigurement and seen that the story of Elisha is FOCUSED ON CHRIST.

What do we learn? We learn that God is present with His people and the strength of His people when His people (like Elisha) are: FAITHFUL TO THE CALL, FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT, and FOCUSED ON CHRIST.

The people of Israel, in the days of Elisha, could rightly wonder where the Lord was. They felt His absence and they felt how vulnerable they were to hostile nations around them, because they were faithless in terms of their calling; they had rejected the voice of God’s Spirit in the mouths of the prophets; they had rejected God’s way of salvation. We too may feel God’s absence. We too may feel far away from God and vulnerable to the hostile forces of this world. Sometimes, that’s simply the result of life being hard. But often that feeling is the natural result of us:
- Being more faithful to the pressures, expectations and ways of the world than to the call of
God in our lives.
- Filling ourselves with anything and everything other than the Spirit of God.
- Being more focused on ourselves (our own wants, desires, felt needs, assumed rights,
entitlements, lusts, addictions, ambitions) than on Christ and His Way.

The prophet Isaiah wrote this: “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things” (Isaiah 59:1-3).

When we sense the Lord’s absence maybe it is because we need repentance. The arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. God is there. He is ready and willing to save, to hear us, to help us. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. We allow sin and self to come in between us and God. We allow the stuff of the world (the noise, lies, perversions, distractions, temptations) to corrode and clog our spiritual arteries blocking the flow of God’s presence from us.

We need the witness of Elisha and the conviction of the Spirit who filled him to draw us back and give us repentant hearts
- That we would turn from faithlessness and be faithful to the call of God in our lives.
- That we would empty the junk out of our lives so that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit.
- That we would allow “the things of earth to grow strangely dim” as we turn the focus of our
lives upon Jesus.
Then we will know the presence and power of the Lord. Then He will be our strength. Then, when we are faithful, filled and focused, we can answer the question, “O God, where are you now?” with the ultimate answer: He is here; He is with me because I am in Him.

The world in Elisha’s day needed to see the presence and power of the Lord. Our world does as well. And when we are faithful to the call, filled with the Spirit and focused on Christ, we not only experience God’s presence and power personally, we display it for the world to see.

Where now is the Lord?

My God is Salvation [1] "A Burning Decision"

Please Read 1 Kings 19.15-21

In this passage, we learn about the person, the call and the response of Elisha.

First, the PERSON of Elisha. Elisha was a prophet in the 800s BC. He lived and prophesied mostly in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It seems that he came from a somewhat wealthy family (12 yoke of oxen and the workers to use them) and was called to ministry when he was still young, for according the Bible, his prophetic ministry lasted over fifty years and extended through the reigns of six kings. Elisha was the disciple and successor of Elijah and, like Elijah, stood against the idolatry and corruption of his generation. Elisha’s life was one of faithful, fearless following after God. Elisha was among those whose knees had not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths had not kissed him. In the midst of a faithless, corrupt generation that had, for the most part, turned from the Lord to follow other gods, Elisha was one who remained faithful. Though king Ahab and his wife Jezebel led the nation into idolatry and though the majority followed like lemmings, Elisha was one who stood firm, resilient to the cultural pressures, and worshipped the Lord alone.

Next, we learn about the CALL of Elisha. When Elijah found Elisha he was out plowing the fields. Elijah “passed by him” and threw his cloak around him. That is the same phrase used before when the Lord passed by Elijah on the mountain. It appears then that God passed by Elisha as well, calling him to follow and be His prophet. Elijah threw his cloak around Elisha to confer a new role and responsibility upon Elisha and to mark him as his successor.

Finally, we see the RESPONSE of Elisha. Evidently Elijah didn’t linger but kept on walking so that Elisha ran after him to stop him. And when he had caught up to him he said, “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye and then I will come with you.” Now the jury is still out on whether this was a positive or negative response (see Luke 9:61-62). But Regardless of Elisha’s initial response, his overall response is clear and decisive (see 1 Kings 19:21). Elisha’s actions marked a clear break with his former life. How did Elisha make a living? Farming. What do you need to farm? Oxen and plowing equipment. And here Elisha breaks apart his plow and makes a bonfire out of it and then slaughters his oxen and cooks them over the fire. Talk about burning your bridges! Elisha left himself no means of return. This was no experiment. He was not trying out the life of a prophet to see if he liked it or not. He committed himself completely to following the Lord as he served Elijah. There was no going back.

This reminds me of the story told about the Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez. In the year 1519, he anchored his 11 ships off the Yucatan Peninsula in an ambitious attempt to conquer the Aztec empire. He was vastly outnumbered and was separated from home and reinforcements by thousands of miles of ocean. Even so, after his men went onshore, he ordered for all of his 11 ships to be burned. Now, you can rightly condemn Cortez for many things, but one thing is certain: he was totally committed. But even more was Elisha totally committed. Elisha made a burning decision out of a burning desire to serve the Lord.

So what do we lean from this story of Elisha’s calling?

1. We learn that Israelite culture was idolatrous and corrupt. Israel had rejected their covenant with the Lord, killed his prophets and worshiped other gods, such as Baal and Asherah. Their king and leaders were corrupt, leading them away from the Lord.
2. We learn that God did not give up on them. He still spoke to them through His prophets. God preserved a remnant of those faithful to Him and sent His prophets to call out to them and to serve as a witness of His presence, power and authority over them.
3. And we learn that Elisha was:
a. willing to be apprenticed. An apprentice learns, serves, imitates and eventually
does the work of the master craftsman. And that is what Elisha did. He let go of
his former life in order to commit himself as a disciple of Elijah; to learn and live a
new life.
b. willing to be marked. At this time, Elijah was at the top of the ‘Israel’s Most
Wanted’ list. He was a marked man and considered an enemy of the state. King
Ahab hated him and Queen Jezebel was actively trying to kill him. Elisha then was
risking his life in obeying the Lord and following Elijah. But he was ready and
willing to do so.
c. was willing to be used. Like Elijah, Elisha would stand up to kings; would stand
against his corrupt culture; would speak God’s message, show off God’s power
and follow God’s leading. His was not an easy life, but it was an obedient,
powerful, God-glorifying life and therefore a compelling life.

But what do we learn about us? How do we fit into this story? How does it shape us? Like Elisha, we live in an idolatrous, corrupt culture. We may not worship Baal and Asherah, per se, but we have a host of other gods and goddesses that we bow down to, the foremost being the chief god of Self. We have broken our relationship with the Lord and turned our hearts away from him. Like Elisha’s culture and like the world Paul refers to, we live in a ‘crooked and depraved generation’. But God is patient and faithful. He does not give up, but continues to speak through His servants and use His servants to “shine like stars in the universe as [we] hold out the word of life.” God continues to carry out His plan of redemption through the men and women He calls to follow Him.

And so, we, like Elisha, are called to be:

Apprenticed. We are called to leave behind our former life (what we knew and what we were) in order to commit ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ – to follow and learn from him. We are called to learn, serve, imitate and do the work of our Master Craftsman. We are called to let go of our former life in order to learn and live a new life.

Marked. Sometimes being marked is a difficult thing. It means you have to live differently. It means some people may resent and hate you because you live differently. You will experience some cultural friction. But our lives should clearly display our allegiance to Jesus and His claim over us.

Used. We are called to stand up against our corrupt culture; to stand up even in the face of kings and rulers; to speak God’s message, show off God’s love and power and follow God’s leading. The Christian life is not an easy life, but it is a joy-filled, hope-filled life. And an obedient, authentic, loving, God-glorifying life is a compelling life.

Elisha had the mantle of Elijah thrown upon Him. We however, have had Jesus say to us, “Follow Me”. But what is our response? Is it like those who, when Jesus called them to follow, came up with excuses and ways of stalling? Is it like the son, in the parable of the father who asked his sons to work in his vineyard, who said yes but didn’t go? Is it like the rich young man who decided that following Jesus cost too much? Or is it like that of Elisha who dropped everything, burned his ships and set out to follow?

Are we totally committed to Jesus or only mostly or partly of kind of? With Jesus, it is all or nothing. We can’t hold anything back. Jesus is not merely Lord of our “spiritual lives” while we run our physical and professional lives. Jesus is not Lord over our private life while we take care of our public one. He is Lord of all – all of us, every part of us.

With Jesus, it is all or nothing. And so, there is no returning. We must burn our ships. We must give ourselves totally to Him. We make a clean break with the old way of doing things (the way of the fallen world). We give those things up. And though that sounds like a lot, its really nothing. We give up nothing and gain everything.

We have a burning decision to make. Will we choose the plow and oxen over the call and keep on doing what we’re doing – the seemingly safe and steady thing, ‘our thing’? Will we chose th plow and oxen or will we light it up, throw a farewell party and follow our Lord and Savior on the adventure of being His disciple?

Anybody got some matches?

LN 23: "Love For the World, part 2" 06.08.08

Last time we considered how we show love for the world through outreach – through actively and personally extending ourselves to those around us and around the world with the Good News and love of Jesus Christ. We looked at outreach in terms of evangelism. Today I want us to look at outreach in terms of service.

As we consider this, I want to suggest that We are called to serve our neighbors through self-giving love, thereby bringing joy to ourselves and glory to God.

“WE ARE CALLED TO SERVE…” We simply have to look at 2 statements about Jesus to recognize this.
- Philippians 2:5-11. Our attitude should be the same as Jesus. What did Jesus do? He made Himself nothing. He became a servant and gave Himself for us. And we are to have the same mindset. Just above this passage we read: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” We need a mindset to serve.
- Matthew 20:25-28. The way of the world is arrogance and one-upmanship. The way of Jesus is humility and servanthood. Jesus said, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” For our example is Jesus Himself who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” If we call ourselves Christians then we must follow Christ and serve others.

But WHO ARE WE CALLED TO SERVE? The apostle Paul helps us with this when he writes in Galatians 5:13-14, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.” We have been set free to serve our neighbor. But we may ask: “Who is our neighbor?” Jesus was asked that once. This was His response - the parable of the Good Samaritan. Look at Luke 10:30-37.
- What is the message of that parable? Haddon Robinson, once told the story of how his son was taught the parable one day in Sunday School. His son told him the whole story and when he had finished, Robinson asked his son, “Now, what was that story all about? What does it mean? His son paused for a moment and then said “The story of the Good Samaritan means – whenever I’m in trouble you’ve got to help me!” That’s a pretty good understanding of the story – a simple recognition that human need requires human assistance. Robinson, in his own sermon on the parable, summarizes it this way: “Your neighbor is anyone whose need you see and you're in a position to meet.”
- You’re neighbor is anyone. Generally speaking every human being alive is your neighbor. Every person should be an object of our concern. However, we are not able to help everyone. The problems of the world are overwhelming and can be paralyzing. And so specifically speaking, your neighbor is anyone whose need you’re in a position to meet. How do we deal with the problems of the world? By dealing with the person in front of us whose need we see and whose need we’re in a position to meet. Edward Everett Hale once wrote, “I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do.” Who are we called to serve? Our neighbor - anyone whose need you see and you're in a position to meet.

So, we are called to serve our neighbors, but HOW? By following Jesus’ example of self-giving love. Read John 13:1-17. Foot washing was a menial task – so low that it was listed among tasks that an Israelite servant should not have to do. And yet as the supper commenced and no one had their feet washed (evidently no one was willing to wash the feet of their peers), Jesus got up took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. This was a sign of a servant. Jesus, in an incredible act of humility, thus identified Himself as a slave. And He did this, we are told, to show “the full extent of his love.” Knowing who He was and what was about to happen to Him, Jesus still focused on His disciples, serving them in love.

This foot washing illustrated Jesus’ entire ministry and mission and so it must illustrate ours. Jesus said, “Do you understand what I have done for you? ... You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” Jesus has given us an example to follow, the example of self-giving love.

But all this talk about being a servant is not very palatable to our culture. Words like service, submission, selflessness, and sacrifice are not exactly popular terms. Even among Christians, service is often seen as a form of drudgery – something we’re guilted into doing. And so why in the statement I offered would I say that, “We are called to serve our neighbors through self-giving love, THEREBY BRINGING JOY TO OURSELVES…”? Because though our culture mistakenly believes that happiness is found in focusing on oneself, joy is found in extending oneself for others. That is why the Gospel appears upside-down to our culture. Jesus said, “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” In order to find ourselves, we must give up ourselves. Joy is found in giving yourself away. Do you want to experience growth as a Christian? Do you want to experience joy and satisfaction? Then learn to serve.

We are called to serve our neighbors through self-giving love, thereby bringing joy to ourselves AND GLORY TO GOD. But how does serving one’s neighbors glorify God? We often see work or service as drudgery, but it is actually worship. Both Hebrew and Greek have words meaning both work/service and worship. Why is that? Because worship is not simply a cerebral activity nor is it merely a vocal activity. Worship is a life activity. As Christians, our lives are to be worship. Therefore, when we serve one another and others, we worship God. We bring glory to God. That is why Jesus said, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Self-giving love glorifies God because it reflects God’s character to the world. And self giving love brings joy because we were made to reflect God’s character to the world.

Brothers and sisters, We are called to serve our neighbors through self-giving love, thereby bringing joy to ourselves and glory to God. Through service we reach out to the world with the Good News and love of Jesus Christ. We exemplify the Good News for them. Through service we build each other up as well. Without service the mission of the Church cannot be accomplished, for we cannot show love for God or one another or the world unless we are willing to serve. And so are you willing to serve? Are you willing to give of yourself?

We are called to serve. For serving is a vehicle through which the mission of the Church is accomplished.

Jeff Mugford tells a powerful story:

He saw people love each other, and he saw that love made strenuous demands on the lovers. He saw that love required sacrifice and self-denial. He saw that love produced arguments, jealousy, and sorrow. He decided that love cost too much. He decided not to diminish his life with love.

He saw people strive for distant and hazy goals. He saw men strive for success and women strive for high ideals. He saw that the striving was often mixed with disappointment. He saw strong and committed men fail, and he saw weak, undeserving men succeed. He saw that striving sometimes forced people into pettiness and greed. He decided that it cost too much. He decided not to soil his life with striving.

He saw people serving others. He saw men give money to the poor and helpless. He saw that the more they served, the faster the need grew. He saw ungrateful receivers turn on their serving friends. He decided not to soil his life with serving.

When he died, he walked up to God and presented his life to him—undiminished, unmarred, unsoiled. The man was clean and untouched by the filth of the world, and he presented himself to God proudly saying, “Here is my life!” And God said, “…What life?”
(Jeff Mugford, Youth Specialties: Hot Illustrations)

May God not say that to us. May we not waste our lives in selfishness, but learn to serve – to serve our neighbor with self-giving love, thereby bringing joy to ourselves and glory to God. And may we heed the call of God who says, “I will make you a light for the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

LN 22 "Love For the World, part 1" 05.25.08

As followers of Christ we are the light of the world, but if we stay hidden what good will we do anyone? We must shine in the darkness where the light of God’s love is needed most - reaching out with the light of Christ. And so, as we continue to consider what we do as the Church and focus on the Church’s mission to love, we must consider how we show love for the world through outreach. Today, we will look at outreach in terms of evangelism.

What is evangelism? ‘Evangelism’ is the word for “Good News” (euangelion – eu = good, angellein = announce (from angelos = messenger/angel). So to evangelize is to bring good news; to be a messenger or herald of the Good News of Jesus.

Though that is what it literally means, evangelism has taken on all sorts of other meanings. We often think of sweaty preachers and mass conversions, revival tents, a person on a street corner with a bullhorn, passing out tracts & televangelists. We hear the word ‘evangelism’ and we get scared that we’ll be asked to do it or feel guilty that we haven’t. We think of evangelism as something we are supposed to do and supposed to want to do, but something that we don’t do because we are scared or think we don’t know how.

So how do we define evangelism? John Stott helps us in this by clarifying how it shouldn’t be defined. In his book Christian Mission in the Modern World, Stott states that:
- Evangelism is not defined by recipients. The Gospel is for everyone.
- Evangelism is not defined by results. When we think of ‘successful’ evangelism, we think of conversions and “winning souls”. Granted, the goal of evangelism IS for people to become disciples of Jesus Christ, but conversion is not our responsibility, whereas evangelism is. God converts people. We simply share the Good News of salvation. ‘Successful evangelism’ then is not determined by the number of conversions, but by one’s faithfulness in making the Gospel message known.
- Evangelism is not defined by methods. There is no one way to do evangelism.

Evangelism, therefore, is not defined by recipients, results or methods, but by the Message. The most important part of sharing the Good News is…the Good News!

We find this kind of evangelism in Romans 10.1-17.

In this passage, we find the MOTIVATION FOR EVANGELISM. The motivation is love. Paul was motivated by his love for God and his love for others. He wrote, “Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”
- Paul wanted God to be glorified and for God’s will to be done. Paul desired salvation for his people because salvation is also God’s desire (see: John 6:40 and 1 Timothy 2:3). Paul loved the Lord and wanted Him to be glorified by the salvation of many.
- Paul was also motivated by love for his fellow people. His statement above is one of passion and compassion. In the previous chapter, Paul wrote, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” Paul was willing to give himself up for the sake of his brothers. That is love. Love motivated Paul to share the Good News.

In this passage, we also find the MESSAGE OF EVANGELISM.
- The message involves grace (read in v. 3-4) Salvation does not require some Herculean task of us. It requires us to receive what is offered by grace, for Christ provides righteousness for everyone who believes.
- And so, the message calls for response. We read in vv. 9-11, “if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
- And thirdly, this message is for all. We read in vv. 12-13, “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” In evangelism, there is no partiality. We don’t speak the Good News to some and not to others. The message is for every human being on earth, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

And lastly in this passage, we find the MEANS OF EVANGELISM.
As we consider the means we see that evangelism is necessary - v. 14-15: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Now in the task of evangelism, there are two central elements: proclamation and presence.
- There is a message to be proclaimed. As Paul asked, “how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” At some point, as we live as witnesses for Jesus, there must come a time in which we communicate verbally the message of salvation.
- However, something must precede proclamation and that is presence. Jesus not only told us to make disciples, but also to go. We are to go into the world; into our communities; into our neighborhoods; into the lives of our friends and be present there with them. Who are you more likely to believe: a person who has been your friend and stuck with you in good times and bad or a person yelling at you on a street corner? We need to be personal with people, present with them, forming relationships, building friendships – respecting them, not treating people like conversion projects.
- And presence is needed not only as individuals but as the Church. The visible presence of the church is attractive. People need not only to hear the Gospel, they need to see it lived out. People want to see it! People want something real and true. Stott says it well, “There can be no evangelism without the church. The message comes from a community that embodies it and welcomes into its fellowship those who receive it.”

But how do we do this? There are plenty of great resources that can help us, but for today, I want us to simply consider two basic ways we can do this.

The first is: BE THE CHURCH. Too often churches, in their desire to be relevant and be heard by their culture, sell out to their culture. Rather than following the motivation, message and means of Jesus, they use the motivation, message and means of the world.
- But the motivation of the world is self-focused whereas the motivation of Jesus is God-focused and others-focused. The world seeks its own glory, whereas Jesus sought to bring glory to the Father. Churches therefore must not seek to glorify themselves, but only God.
- The message of the world is that we don’t need any help or if we do it is help that we can provide for ourselves. The message of Jesus, however, is that we desperately need a Savior and He alone is our Savior.
- The means of the world are often connected with the business world (you get what you pay for, there are no free lunches, watch your back, and you have to climb the ladder, stepping on and over others to succeed). We follow Machiavelli (the ends justify the means) and Nietzsche (will to power). However, the means of Jesus, in total antithesis to that, is self-giving love.
And so, be the Church. Be what God has made you to be: a people reconciled to Him through self-giving love and who thus relate to each other and the world through self-giving love.

As the Church, our motivation is love, our message is love and our means is love, because Jesus is our motivation, message and means. We must never lose sight of that because it is the love of Jesus that is compelling. It is the love of Jesus that saves.

The second way is: BE YOURSELF. Be who Jesus gave His life for you to be. Be a follower of Jesus, who has had his or her life transformed by the Gospel. How do we do that?
- Believe the Gospel. Stott says, “Nothing hinders evangelism today more than the widespread loss of confidence in the truth, relevance and power of the gospel” (40). Are you convinced in the truth, relevance and power of the Gospel? You will never share the gospel if you are not convinced of it; if you do not believe it; if you do not share Paul’s conviction which he expressed in Romans 1: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”.
- Not only must you believe it, you must be transformed by the Gospel. You can’t give what you don’t have. If you truly believe the Gospel, then you will be transformed by it. Before we speak of transformation and encourage others to be transformed, we must be transformed. (Not perfect, but growing into the new creation God has made us to be.)
- And so we must also live the Gospel. We not only share the Good News with words, but with actions. As we talk about Christ, we must strive to live like followers of Christ. And this does not mean that we simply live happy Christian lives and hope that someone notices. We must live intentionally - developing friendships with non-Christian people, getting to know your neighbors and co-workers, being light where it is needed not simply where it is safe. And when you live the Gospel, you are empowered by God. When you are intentionally following Jesus as the light of the world, your weakness becomes strength.

Be the Church and be yourself – not the Church as an historical institution (in which we only do things the way we’ve always done them) but the Church alive in Christ; not yourself (simply wandering through life) but yourself alive in Christ. For a church that is alive in Christ; a body of believers who are alive in Christ is the most compelling thing there is. If that is not true then why would God have chosen human beings (chosen us) to communicate His Good News?

We are followers of Jesus Christ. If we stay hidden in the closet (behind the walls of safety and comfort) what good will we do anyone? We are called to shine in the darkness where the light of God’s love is needed most. We are called to reach out with the light of Christ.

LN 21 "Love For One Another (pt. 2)" 05.18.08

William Law once said, “There is nothing that makes us love a man so much as praying for him.” The mission of the Church is love – love for God, each other and the world. Last time, we learned that we express our love for one another through edification – building up one another in Christ - through discipleship and fellowship. I want us now to focus on doing that through prayer – expressing our love for one another by being a community of prayer.

I believe we see this reality in the example of the earliest believers. Check out these passages from the book of Acts:
Acts 1:14 – “They all joined together constantly in prayer …”
Acts 2:42 – devoted themselves to prayer
Acts 3:1 – regularly praying at the temple
Acts 4:24 – raised their voices together in prayer to God for boldness
Acts 6:4 – apostles give attention to prayer and the ministry of the word
Acts 12:5, 12 – church gathered to earnestly pray for Peter who was in prison
Acts 16:22-25 – Paul and Silas in prison praying and singing
Acts 21:3-5 – Paul praying with believers on the beach at Tyre
Clearly prayer was an essential element in the life of the early Church. They were built up through praying together. They expressed love by praying for one another. They were a community of prayer. And they are an example for us.

But what is prayer?
Communication with God - directing one’s heart and mind and will toward God in love, faith, hope and trust.
Communion with God – being in the presence of God; listening to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to intercede for us.
Commitment to God. Prayer is a form of life, for a life directed towards God is prayer.

But why pray?
WE ARE TOLD TO (Psalm 32:6, Ephesians 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, James 5:13-16; Jude 1:20). Throughout Scripture we are given the example of godly men and women praying. Prayer was a core element of their lives.

WE WERE CREATED TO PRAY. We pray because we were created to be in a relationship with God and communication is a vital part of any relationship. We find prayer to be instinctive … because it is. We are wired to relate to God.

We also pray because WE NEED TO. We need to because we are limited. Abraham Lincoln once confessed, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go.” We can’t do it on our own. We need God and that is why we cry out to Him. Often it is only when we sense our own limitations; when we reach the end of our rope, then we turn to God in prayer. But that is backwards. Prayer ought to be our first response and our ongoing response to life, not a last ditch effort. Corrie ten Boom once insightfully asked, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” We need to because we have a desire to respond to God. When we see something that is utterly beyond us in its beauty or grandeur or intricacy or impossibility, we instinctively desire to respond in some way. We have, in other words, a desire to pray.

WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE PRIVILEGE TO. Because of Christ, we have privileged access to God and therefore, with our prayers, we can cry for help, battle against evil and lovingly intercede for others.

Prayer is a cry for help. Anytime, anywhere we can sound the horn of prayer – we can cry for help – and help, in some way, will come.

Prayer is a call to arms. Karl Barth once said, “To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.” Prayer is the recognition that things are not the way they’re supposed to be and that God alone can do something about it.

Prayer is the voice of love. St. Augustine wrote that, “Prayer is to intercede for the well-being of others before God.” Prayer is a way of loving others – seeking their good by bringing them before the Lord.

How we pray. We pray privately and publically, silently and aloud, written and spoken, eloquently and simply. Sometimes the best prayers have no words at all. We pray in the ordinary and extreme – for seemingly mundane, day–to-day issues and for major crises and overwhelming problems. We pray humbly (knowing that we are unworthy) and yet confidently because Jesus makes us worthy. We pray according to God’s sovereign will and yet we also struggle with God in prayer. In prayer, we adore, confess, give thanks, and bring our requests to the Lord.

So then, HOW CAN WE BE A COMMUNITY OF PRAYER?
We must pray confidently. See Acts 4:24ff and 6:4. We must believe that prayer is effective, that it works and that it is vital to our personal lives and our life together.

We must pray consistently. See Acts 1:14, 2:42, 3:1. To be a community of prayer we must pray consistently – persevering in prayer. In good times and bad; in the mundane and extreme; when we feel like it and we don’t; when it seems to be working and when it doesn’t. We need to develop prayer as a rhythm in our lives both personally and together.

We must pray immediately. See Acts 4:24ff and 12.1-12 In two situations of persecution, we see that the early Church’s response was prayer. Notice that they had no time to throw their hands up in the air because they were folded in prayer. They had no time to voice their anxiety and fears because their voices were raised in prayer. Prayer was their immediate response, as it should be ours.

We must pray vulnerably and compassionately. See Acts 21:5. The believers prayed compassionately because they knew Paul was headed into danger and difficulty and so they knelt down to lift him up. And they prayed vulnerably. They humbled themselves before God and Paul humbled himself before them in asking for prayer. We need to be vulnerable to God and to one another in prayer. We not only need to pray, we need to be prayed for – to receive prayer, because when we do, we are able to pray compassionately for others.

We must pray victoriously. See Acts 16:22-25. In the middle of the night, with their feet fastened in the stocks, in a prison cell, what were Paul and Silas doing? Praying and singing hymns to God. That is victorious prayer – prayer that rises above one’s circumstances to the reality of God. We need to pray victoriously. In spite of our circumstances, in the face of evil, we must cling to God in prayer. Not pretending that evil is not there, not thanking God for evil, but praying in spite of it, in the face of it – believing that God is more powerful than it and can work all things ultimately for our good. Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, we will not fear because God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help in trouble.

And so, as a community of prayer, we pray confidently, consistently, immediately, vulnerably, compassionately and victoriously. And as we pray, we build one another up in love. For when we pray in that way, we are unified in love and purpose and become conduits of God’s blessings to others.

As Oswald Chambers has written, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work.” Without prayer our love is weak, our faith is weak, our hope is weak, our ministry is weak, our worship is weak, our witness is weak, our lives are weak, our church is weak.

If we are to be the people of God, then we must be a community of prayer. If we are going to fulfill the mission of the Church to love God, one another and the world, we must be a community of prayer - a community that is connected to the Source of love (the One who is love) and connected to one another so that love can be shared. Let us be a community of prayer.

LN 20: "Love For One Another" 05.04.08

The mission of the Church is love: love for God, love for one another and love for the world. The last two messages have focused on our love for God expressed in worship. Today we look at our love for one another and how we are to love each other. But first I want us to consider why we ought to love each other.
- The first reason is because Jesus commands it. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13.34).
- A second reason is that loving each other is a part of our worship. The apostle John wrote, “This is love for God: to obey his commands” (1 John 5.3). In other words, we worship God - we show our love for God - in obeying His commands. And what are His commands? John tells us: “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (1 John 3:23). In loving each other we worship God.
- A third reason is that loving each other is a part of our witness. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13.35). Our love for each other validates the message of the Gospel and proves that we are truly following Christ. Just as we cannot truly worship God if we do not love each other, so we cannot effectively witness to others without loving one another.

Loving one another is an essential part of the Christian life. It is Jesus’ command and therefore it is part of the mission of the Church.

But what is love? What does it mean to love? The word used in Scripture to express the love we are to show one another is agape – the same love that God shows us. Agape is basically a self-giving love that is not merited. We see this love illustrated in Romans 5.8: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s love in Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of self-giving, unmerited love. And that is the kind of love we are to show each other - the love of Christ. We love each other because God has loved us.

But, how do we love each other? I believe that as a community of believers, we show love to one another through EDIFICATION. To edify is ‘to build or construct’. You can hear the word ‘edifice’ or building in it. Edification is therefore building up something or someone and that is what love does – it builds up (see: Ephesians 4.15-16). So how do we show love? By building each other up. How do we build each other up? Through discipleship and fellowship. I believe we find this exemplified by the first believers who we read of in Acts 2.41-47.

The first believers were devoted. In particular, there were four things they were devoted to. We read in v. 42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” In those four things, I believe we see the elements of fellowship and discipleship, through which the Church is built up.

And so, let’s first consider discipleship. I’ve mentioned the fact that a disciple or talmid was one who not only knew what the rabbi taught, but did what the rabbi did. A disciple literally walked behind the rabbi. But for the early Church, their Rabbi was not physically present to walk behind. So how could they follow? How could they develop as disciples? Our text tells us they devoted themselves to Jesus’ teaching (as carried on by His apostles), and they devoted themselves to communicating with Him in prayer. That is how they grew: by listening, learning and praying. Discipleship is a process of growth. As we feed on Christ through the Word and through prayer, we are built up and formed into His likeness.

Now, that’s all well and good, but how is that a form of loving one another? Isn’t discipleship simply a personal discipline, a private process? No, not really. Discipleship takes place in community. The call of Jesus to follow was and is a call to follow Him along with others. It is not a private affair. It is a journey together (See: Hebrews 10.23-25 and 1 Thessalonians 5:11-18). The commission given to us by Jesus is to make disciples and clearly, discipleship is the work of the community. We are to love one another and that involves encouraging and responding to encouragement, correcting and respecting, teaching and learning – keeping one another accountable. Unlike Cain, we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper. We are to be concerned for each other - to build each other up in Christ; to make disciples and be made into them.

Secondly, we show love through fellowship. Fellowship is defined by the Greek word koinonia, meaning, “a close mutual relationship; participation, sharing in something and partnership”. Fellowship is not a passive word, but rather an active one. It means participation in a shared or common life (koina=common). The early believers actively shared in a common life.
- They shared resources. We are told that “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” This does not mean that they were communists, but rather that they actively cared for the needs of one another.
- They shared time and space: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” They were together often and enjoyed it. They shared their lives with one another.
- They shared in worship. They met in the temple courts together to pray and to praise God. And they shared in the Lord’s Supper – breaking bread together in a visible symbol of their unity with Jesus and one another.
- They shared food. Breaking bread refers also to eating together. There is something special in gathering at a table and sharing food. That’s why the dinner table has been the centerpiece of families and friends throughout human history.

We show love for each other through fellowship – through active participation in a shared life and mission.

Love is the mission of the Church. And that love must be expressed to one another as we build each other up through discipleship and fellowship – through a shared life together: encouraging one another, keeping each other accountable, bearing one another’s burdens, teaching and learning from each other, worshipping together, eating often with one another, sharing our resources and spending time together. That’s how we grow: we grow as a people.

But love is a choice. Love is a decision. I can list all the ways that we can show love to each other and all the biblical instructions for how we are to share in a common life together but it won’t make any difference unless we make the decision to love each other. And on the flip side, being loved is likewise a decision. We must choose to let people love us; to receive their love.

Being a community like the one we find in Acts is not impossible. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible. However, it starts with a decision to love and be loved. We have been loved by God with a self-giving, unmerited love. Will we show that love to one another? Are we willing to bear with each other, forgive each other and accept one another? Are we willing to be devoted to each other and walk alongside each other on this journey of life?

The Church father, Jerome, tells the story that when the apostle John became so weak that he could no longer preach, he used to be carried into the congregation at Ephesus and simply give a brief encouragement and challenge. He would say, “Little children, love one another.” When his hearers grew tired of this message and asked why he always repeated it, he responded, “Because it is the Lord’s command, and if this is all you do, it is enough.”

We often desire to do great things for God – have a huge church and massive ministries. But what does God require? That we love Him and that we love one another. For love is the mission of the Church and what holds the Church together. We are to be a community that loves.

LN 18 & 19 04.13/27.08

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